City’s midfield priorities become clear as one target cools

Manchester City’s interest in Eduardo Camavinga appears to have cooled, with the club instead concentrating their midfield efforts on Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to a Daily Mail report.

Real Madrid are said to be open to selling Camavinga this summer as part of a wider midfield reshuffle, with both City and Manchester United among the clubs to have considered a move. But City’s focus has shifted to Bouaddi, the 18-year-old who impressed for Morocco at the World Cup this summer, with the report suggesting his age and long-term potential make him the more attractive investment.

That leaves United with a clearer run at Camavinga, should they choose to pursue it, though a fee in any deal remains the central obstacle — the 23-year-old is understood to prefer staying at the Bernabeu, and Real Madrid’s willingness to sell will depend on structuring a package around their spending elsewhere.

For City, the picture fits a summer in which Enzo Maresca’s midfield rebuild has so far centred on younger, longer-term profiles rather than the ready-made experience Camavinga would offer — an approach already evident in the club-record deal for Elliot Anderson, 23, and in City’s parallel enquiry for Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde.

Nothing here is confirmed by either club, and City’s stance on Camavinga could yet shift depending on how their pursuit of Bouaddi develops.